“We have found that if people don't call after a few days, they don't call at all,” said Wendy Lesage, who serves as animal control officer in Wales, Holland, Palmer and Monson.

In the past, found dogs were held at the pound for 10 days, which most animal control officers and shelter workers believe was too long.

A change in state law now dictates that dogs can be offered for adoption after seven days, which experts agree gives the pets a better chance at finding a new and caring home. The law enacted in October also allows for dogs deemed too dangerous to adopt to be humanely euthanized in the same time frame.

Experts say that helps open kennel space for adoptable dogs, and shortening the mandatory hold time might help dogs maintain a good temperament.

Most animal control officers admit they rarely put down dogs that have a chance at adoption unless their behavior is dangerous or they have a medical condition that can't be cured. Still, they hate to see dogs kept at pounds that aren't built for long-term stays.

After even a few days in an unfamiliar kennel, a dog's behavior can change, sometimes not for the better, they said.

“The shelter is not a home,” said Allie Tellier, executive director of the Worcester Animal Rescue League shelter.

“We try to care for them the best that we can, but they need a lot of mental and physical stimulation. A kennel is stressful.”

While three days less might not make a big difference in whether a dog exhibits behavioral changes, it does allow shelters to more quickly spay or neuter the dog, implant a microchip and handle any other needed veterinary care to ready the dog for a new home. And that means more room for the dogs coming in.

“We can't do anything in those first seven days except emergency medical things,” Athol Animal Control Officer Jennifer Arsenault said.

She said she tries to find homes for the town's wayward dogs — many of which she terms “bully breeds” that are often tougher to place. Social media has helped a lot and for a small-town shelter, the Athol Animal Control Facebook page boasts 363 followers.

Worcester Animal Rescue League has nearly 6,000 followers on Facebook, and Ms. LeSage's Palmer shelter page has more than 1,160.

Mrs. Tellier said social media has helped not only in placing dogs but in cases involving owners searching for missing pets. It speeds the process of getting the word out and increases the distance that news of a lost dog might travel. It also seems to shorten the time dogs are missing before someone finds and returns them.

“Something like 80 percent of lost dogs are recovered in 24 to 36 hours,” Mrs. Tellier said.

Carol Gaucher, a longtime animal control officer in Spencer, said the three days haven't mattered much to her because dogs she takes in sometimes wait months for the right adopter to come along, and she's willing to hold out until that happens.

“The last pit bull we had, we had for six months before we placed her,” she said. “She was a really sweet dog.”

A couple from Western Massachusetts fell in love with that dog and adopted her, Mrs. Gaucher said.

The change in the law might save a little money for shelters if dogs are spending less time because costs for food and other items are lower, but Mrs. Gaucher said that in Spencer, she does worry about dogs with owners who simply don't call to report their pets missing.

Theoretically, they could call after their dogs been through a seven-day hold period and adopted out to someone else.

Most shelters said they'd work with folks to try to get their dogs back but technically once a dog has been held for seven days, it's the property of the city or town and can be adopted.

“I've seen it happen where people are out all night looking for a dog and they just don't call for days and days, thinking the dog will come home,” She said. “You've got to call as soon as you know that dog's missing, especially now.”

Contact Kim Ring at kring@telegram.com Follow her on Twitter @kimmring